New Legend of Zelda timeline reveals Breath of the Wild is an alt-future

A new Legend of Zelda timeline featured at Nintendo Live 2024 in Sydney has confirmed Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom take place in an entirely separate future, unrelated to other Zelda games. As first spotted and reported by Vooks, one installation at Nintendo Live was focussed on the history of The Legend of Zelda, and exactly which events define the series.

Starting from creation (The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword), the official timeline charts multiple sequels, spin-offs, and side chapters, placing them on a branching history, based on in-game events. While the timeline starts simply, as it progresses from Skyward Sword to The Minish Cap, Four Swords, and Ocarina of Time, it then splits based on the events of Ocarina.

In the “Hero is Defeated” timeline, The Imprisoning War begins, leading to A Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening, and so on. This also leads to the original games, set in the Era of Decline – The Legend of Zelda, and Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link.

The “Hero is Triumphant” timeline is split into two eras – Child and Adult. In the Child era, the events of Majora’s Mask, Twilight Princess, and Four Sword Adventures take place. In the Adult era, where Hyrule is sealed and flooded, the events of The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks take place.

Then, off to the side of this canon timeline, we see Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom – both of which are currently disconnected from the events of past games.

Read: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Review – Sky’s The Limit

The Legend of Zelda‘s timeline is notoriously fickle, and it’s been consistently revised over a number of years, with new events and timelines added to provide a framing narrative for players keen to experience the games in “chronological” order. It could be that we’ll eventually see a new timeline defined by Breath of the Wild and its successor, but for now, these titles are being considered separate.

Based on the technologies and cultures presented in these games, it could be that they remain seperate for now, as Skyward Sword being the pivot point for all futures would seemingly contradict the histories laid out in BOTW and TOTK. Still, there’s every chance that time travel and alt-history shenanigans will eventually explain away these discrepancies.

In the meantime, Legend of Zelda fans can stay safe in the knowledge that while the timeline for the franchise remains very wild, each game can still be be played, enjoyed, and appreciated in its own right. Given the magic BOTW and TOTK delivered, it hardly matters that they’re so disconnected from the rest of the Zelda timeline.

Thanks again to Vooks for surfacing this unique mural.